A sprained ankle is an injury caused by rolling or twisting the ankle beyond its normal range of motion. It can occur during sports or other activities that involve sudden ankle inversion or twisting. There are three grades of ankle sprains ranging from mild ligament stretching to a complete ligament tear. Treatment involves RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) along with rehabilitation exercises to restore flexibility, strength and prevent future injuries. Surgery may be needed for severe Grade 3 sprains involving ligament reconstruction.

1. SPRAINED ANKLE
By Ashley Dockstader

2. WHAT IS A SPRAINED ANKLE?
 A sprained ankle is an injury caused when the foot
is rolled or turned beyond motions that are
considered normal for the ankle.

4. CAUSES OF A SPRAINED ANKLE
 Sprained ankles are caused when the ankle is
turned in or inverted.
 Many sprained ankles are caused from sports
because it is really easy to sprain your ankle while
playing a sport.

5. TYPES OF SPRAINED ANKLES
 There are three types of sprained ankles. A Grade
1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 sprain.
 Grade 1 sprains are slight stretching and damage
to the fibers of the ligament.
 Grade 2 sprains are partial tearing of the ligament.
Laxity, or looseness, of the ankle joint may occur.
 Grade 3 sprains are complete tearing of the
ligament, gross instability may occur.

6. TREATMENT OF A SPRAINED ANKLE
 When treating a Grade 1 and Grade 2 sprain just use “R.I.C.E.”
Rest, ice, compression and elevate.
 Rest your ankle by not walking on it.
 Ice your ankle for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times daily and combine
with wrapping to decrease pain and dysfunction.
 Compression dressings, or bandages support and immobilize
the injured ankle.
 Elevate your ankle above the heart for 48 hours.
When treating a Grade 2 sprain use “R.I.C.E.” but allow for more
time to heal.

7. TREATMENT OF A SPRAINED ANKLE
 Treating a Grade 3 sprain may result in permanent
instability. Although surgery is rarely needed, a
short leg cast or cast-brace may be needed.

8. TREATMENT OF A SPRAINED ANKLE
 If your ankle needs to be treated with surgery there
are 2 common methods that are used.
 Arthroscopy- a surgeon will go in and look to see if
any loose fragments or pieces of bone or cartilage
are visible or if part of the ligament is caught in the
joint.
 Reconstruction- a surgeon will repair the torn
ligament with stitches or use ligaments from the
foot to repair the damaged ligament.

9. REHABILITATION OF A SPRAINED ANKLE
 Rehabilitation is used to help heal the ankle and make
sure no chronic ankle problems occur, and also to
decrease pain and swelling.
 Phase 1 is resting and protecting the ankle while
reducing swelling.
 Phase 2 works on restoring the motion flexibility and
strength of the ankle.
 Phase 3 includes returning to activity that does not twist
or turn the ankle, while doing maintenance exercises.
The length of your recovery depends on the severity
of the sprain and rehabilitation could take weeks to
months.

10. PREVENTION OF A SPRAINED ANKLE
 The best way to prevent a sprained ankle is to
maintain flexibility, good strength, and muscle
balance.
 Warm up before you exercise.
 Pay attention to walking and running surfaces.
 Wear good shoes.
 Pay attention to your body’s warning signs. Slow
down when you feel pain or fatigue.

11. WORKS CITED
 Google images
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprained_ankle
 http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00150